Arizona state Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, right, greets a supporter of the Tucson ethnic studies program,Virginia Gallegos, of Phoenix, Monday, May 9, 2011, at the Arizona Capitol, in Phoenix.

Written by

Lindsey Collom
The Arizona Republic

TUCSON, Ariz. -- State officials have won a significant legal battle in a long-running saga over a controversial Tucson schools ethnic-studies program, with a federal judge ruling that a law designed to ban it is constitutional.

Authorities instrumental in the law's passage said Monday that they feel vindicated in their efforts to ban what they deemed to be racially divisive courses in public schools.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, who helped craft the law and personally argued the case in Tucson, called the decision "a victory for ensuring that public education is not held captive ...